05 September 2018 - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Srđan Darmanović participated in the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), which took place in Banja Luka. In addition to the host, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Crnadak, deputy prime ministers and foreign ministers of Croatia and Serbia, Marija Pejčinović Burić and Ivica Dačić, as well as other high representatives of the countries of Southeast Europe, also took part in the meeting.
The first meeting within the one-year of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency under the slogan "Better Connectivity for a Better Life" was the opportunity to present the priorities of the presidency, which will, inter alia, be linked to better infrastructure connectivity, improvement of cooperation among business communities, position of youth, education, culture, as well as confronting the challenges of migration and the fight against terrorism.
In his address, Minister Darmanović said that the EU enlargement and regional cooperation are crucial for the future of Southeast Europe, emphasizing that stability, peace, dialogue and better connectivity are necessary to show that the region fosters the same values and looks in the same direction.
According to the report of the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the meeting, Montenegrin representatives explained how over the past years they have witnessed important steps forward in a better integration of the region through joint infrastructure projects, increasing the level of cultural exchange, cooperation in the field of justice, interior affairs, education, science, the media, civil society, which in addition to economic growth helps the region to eradicate corruption and strength democracy, stability and the rule of law.
In that context, Minister Darmanović stressed that the agreement reached between Skopje and Athens, as well as the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristine, is important for the entire region.
The head of the Montenegrin diplomacy also noted that in the coming period the focus should be placed on the issues identified by the Strategy for the Western Balkans, given that they are complementary to the activities within the framework of the Berlin Process, and those future commitments can only be discussed after fulfilling the already undertaken ones. As stressed during the meeting, bearing in mind the activities under the Connectivity Agenda, it is necessary to focus on young people and help them in all aspects of the society, including new jobs, the possibility of further training, greater mobility in order to provide better conditions for life, retain young people in the countries of the region.
